North By Northwest Okanogan Black Ale | North by Northwest Restaurant & Brewery

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Pours dark brown with some red highlights. The head is cream-colored. The aroma is roasted malt, chocolate and some dark fruit. The flavor is roasted/burnt malt with some chocolate and possibly some coffee. The finish is roasted and there is not much hop character. Thin-medium mouthfeel and low carbonation. Somewhat watery overall mouthfeel.

Appearance - mahogany/amber colored beer, a sparse head but holds a good collar.

Aroma - good roasty malts on this one with just the lightest touch of smoke.

Taste - malty and toasty, slightly sweet. If there is supposed to be some Belgian spiciness in here, I'm not tasting it. Maybe the BBQ sandwich is too spicy to pick up the beer flavors. I do like the sweetness and the roasted almost-smokiness. I thought this was a schwarzbier when I was reviewing it.

No hints of the ostensible Cascade hopping. No yeast character. This is a decently balanced brew with fair cohesion and subpar complexity. Not an intricate or subtly executed brew by any means, and not unlikable. But it leaves a lot to be desired.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, medium-bodied, strangely undercarbonated, and mildly thick. Lacks the heft and weight on the palate it needs.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.

OVERALL: Not sure what they were after with this one. It doesn't drink like a German style beer at all, and outside of style conventions it's merely average. I wouldn't pick it up again, but it's fine. Decent work from a decent brewery. This won't impress the discerning drinker, and isn't worth seeking out. Not undrinkable.

Somehow I got apples in the smell yet again. Also some light malty roasted smells. Pour was a nice rich maroon to brown. Taste was decent, simple, a touch watery, and roasty, with basically no hops or bitterness. Very drinkable, and I could definitely get it again if in the mood for this type of beer. Actually better than the only other 2 Schwarzbiers I've had.